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Sep 30, 2014

Chorded keyboard is a computer keyboard where you get characters by pressing several keys at the same time.
This input method should improve speed, make your keyboard one hand usable, smaller and mobile or just make you look like ultra cool elite hax0r.

There are many different projects and now there is a Chordy KEY project with 3d printable case.

Chordy KEY combinations. Well, there is a learning curve if you want to be cool ...

Chording keyboards have been around for a while, but appear to not be taken seriously. Although you can see many data entry methods throughout science fiction but usually involve hundreds of buttons that require the user to look at them and appear to be hard to work in adverse conditions or with bulk such as gloves.

The chording keyboard can take on many different shapes and easily used with one hand. The keys can be easily acquired without the use of pips and build with proper spacing to be used with gloves. The lower amount of keys used makes the manufacturing of the device cheaper and simpler.

This project is a completed left hand proof of concept chording keyboard that currently has all functionality of a standard keyboard minus function keys and plenty of combinations to add them and many macros. The base microcontroller is a ATmega32U4 packaged as a sparkfun pro micro, 8 buttons and 6 indicating leds the case is 3d printed and backed with craft foam.

Sep 29, 2014

Scott Kildall has several projects involving complex data sets processing and transforming them into 3d printable objects for information visualization.
He made and interesting tutorial on how to make 3d printable data crystals and now he published two tutorials on how to make 3d printable models that are three dimensional maps made from geospatial data of complex sewer and water city systems.
How to guides are treasure if you are into 3d visualization of complex data sets and map making.

Here are links to Instructables tutorials with detailed workflow ans software used. The entire process is not too complex and can be done even if you are novice:

Researchers from Hasso Plattner Institute and Cornell University developed WirePrint software for faster prototyping. It basically custs down the time needed to 3d print an object by replacing solid volumes with wire frames.

A question comes to my mind: if this is publicly funded institute will the release the code under one of open source license? Public money should provide public with some tangible goods and services ...
I don't know much about how this sort of institution operates, gets funding and disseminates knowledge form applied research ...

Update: here is some sort of similar code on GitHub, inspired but not related to this project but creates wire frames:

WirePrint is a low-fi fabrication technique that prints 3D models as wireframe previews. By extruding filament directly into 3D space instead of printing layer-wise, we achieve a speed-up of up to 10x compared to traditional 3D printing.

This project is a collaboration between Hasso Plattner Institute and Cornell University.

Sep 28, 2014

PETG is a 3d printing filament made from PET-G which is Glycol-modified PET, the modification is done by adding a second glycol during polymerization.
The resulting molecular structure is irregular and the resin is clear and amorphous with a glass transition temperature of 88 C (190 F).
Filament made from it gives good combination of toughness, clarity and stiffness

Sep 25, 2014

Large custom Deltas seem to be very popular recently. Here is a new Ceberus Gigante 3d printer made by Steve Graber and used by artist Kevin Caron to make big sculptures. It is made out of CNC cut aluminum. It can 3d print 34" in diameter and 4'6" in height (metric is superior guys) and uses 3 mm filament (that's better).
Nice work Steve!

Radusava posted this video showing printing directly on heated aluminum print bed treated only with hair spray.
I'm not sure if its is heated or not and what exact material he is using, but the model looks like it is sticking solidly to the surface.

The Y carriage belt location and retention are improved by using printed parts rather than the laser-cut parts. This makes for easier belt tension adjustment.

The Y motor is now the same way round as the other two axes, which means that the Y axis can be zeroed more simply (previously the axis was designed with a high-end stop switch).

The heated bed support is a three-point support which makes bed level adjustment easier.

The infra-red Z/Bed probe is now differential, meaning that readings are taken with the IR LED on and then subtracted from readings with it off. This gives much less interference from ambient light and it is more accurate.

The extruder has much better access for cleaning and it has a locked drive stack that improves reliability.

The power supply is for worldwide universal voltage and is integrated into the machine compactly so there is no power distribution PCB needed, and there are no trailing wires other than the mains lead and the communications.

There are better integrated and simpler wiring looms, so still no soldering, but even easier wiring assembly.

There is an improved web interface, and you get even higher quality prints from better motion control. (All the new software is backwards compatible with Ormerod 1 so Ormerod 1 owners benefit from that too.)

There is simpler assembly and the build instructions are even more detailed.

Ormerod 2 is priced at £449 plus VAT (if applicable) for the full kit and £389 plus VAT (if applicable) for the the hardware only kits.

... the origins of 3d printing are mysterious ... also, there was no Play-Doh in my country when I was a child (yes yes, the socialist darkness) and I have never seen it in real life (maybe it is similar to stuff we call "plastelin") ... ah well, I'll just believe the random internet meme ...

And it comes in 3d printed enclosure resembling fictional weapons from Dune universe.

If you don't know what Dune is or are unfamiliar with Weirding Modules, you should really do some reading and movie watching. The design is based on Beast Rabans pistol. Those DAMN Harkonnens ... I can only wish that Adafruit makes something Atreides or Fremen based ... just to bring more balance ...

As all Adafruit projects it comes with detailed instructions and documentation.

If you want to build one or learn more about ultrasonic distance measuring go to:

Ben responds to viewer’s questions about 3-D printing by delivering a full tutorial! He covers the kinds of printers available as well as the basic parts and costs of building your own printer.

Ben also demonstrates how to find existing designs to print and gives examples of software for designing objects from scratch. After printing some objects, he shares tips and tricks on how to create the best prints possible.

Ben Heck is known for many of his 3d printing projects. There are two I find the most interesting:

Sep 18, 2014

Josef Prusa made an innovative ultra-low cost automatic printbed leveling mechanism for his RepRap.
It is made out of two glass plates and four micro switches (one in each corner) activated by printhead pressure.
The setup costs some 20 cents, so it is probably the easiest to make and cheapest system around.
Only limitations are that the switches get pressed if you print an object heavier then 300 grams and that you are limited in using heated bed.

Sep 16, 2014

Norge Systems is a Dover, UK based company that want to bring affordable SLS 3d printers to the crowds. They will compete with two models: The Ice9 which is larger and Ice1 which is a "desktop" model. Additional to 3d printing their machines have laser cutting and engraving capabilities.

The prices of Norge 3d printers are definitely pushing the price level for this type of technology and making it more accessible to the wider DIY community. Hopefully the prices will drop in the entire sector.

Sep 15, 2014

Pi Top is DIY laptop kit based on Raspberry Pi and aimed at education and students. The team used 3d printing to prototype the casing. Maybe they could release the files and open source the project for the people who want to build it completely on their own and not buy it in kit form.

Pi Top features (from the project page):

Free Hardware Innovation Lessons: Pi-Top is where it starts. We will be building new content for Pi-Top users.Learn to 3D print, design PCBs and create your own products from start to finish.

No Compromising on Quality: Mobile designs often use Bluetooth keyboards, that took away from the user experience. Enjoy using Raspberry Pi with a fully integrated laptop keyboard and track-pad with extra ports.

Easy Component Access: A clear sliding panel allows access to the Raspberry Pi. Kickstarter DAY 1 editionPi-Tops will feature a lazer-etched panel design, as well as the standard clear panel.

Raspbian Operating System: Once built your Raspberry Pi is ready to go. Start learning to program on the latest Raspbian OS.

Print time: 3 prints total (two pieces together and the two larger pieces seprately) roughly 160 hours of printing

Support settings: KISSlicer with medium support, at 45 Degrees with a horizontal gap (from object) of 1mm.

De-string Settings: Prime 5.5mm Suck: 5.4mm Wipe:5mm Z-lift: 1mm

Notes from the creators: "PLA really keeps its shape well. We had to use floating beams in the STLs to achieve a rigid enough support structure so the model wouldn't wobble after 10 inches tall and ruin the print. We found KISSlicer worked the best in terms of support structure."

WASP from Italy is making some big Deltas that 3d print in clay mixtures. Here is a video of them in deserts of Morroco exploring some traditional earth construction buildings and clay mixtures. They make a traditional construction mix from local materials and use it in their machine to make some pottery or construction elements. In the future they will probably enlarge their Delta and 3d print entire homes.

I live in a house that is almost 100 years old and it's made from clay / earth sun dried bricks mixed with hay. Walls are almost one meter thick and it is very well insulated. I would like more application of old techniques in the future. Concrete boxes are just boring and sterile.

Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate or ASA is a new FDM filament from Stratasys which is very strong and UV resistant. Could it replace ABS?

ASA is an all-purpose material used for the production of prototypes, manufacturing tools and finished products. Manufacturers in the automotive, electronics, commercial, sporting goods and construction industries will benefit from ASA’s strength and durability. Applications include jigs and fixtures, electrical boxes, recreational vehicles and outdoor tools

Compatible with the Fortus 360mc, 400mc and 900mc 3D Production Systems, ASA thermoplastic surpasses the capabilities of ABS, offering UV resistance so parts will be durable and resist fading even with long-term exposure to direct sunlight. Considered to have the best aesthetics of any FDM material available, ASA offers an exceptional surface finish - details such as printed text and other features are greatly improved by ASA’s matte finish.

Sep 5, 2014

Mikey77 known for several projects like the conductive printed electronic circuits posted his new work on 3d printable servo powered valves. The PLA printed valve can be used to menage air or fluid flow for any purpose you need it, the electronics are easy to put together and are controlled by Arduino or Picaxe. Servos used in this project are Futaba S3110 micro-servos.

Here is the 3d printed valve controlling the 3d printed robot muscle with air pressure

From project description:

The 3D printed valve is actually two valves that are controlled by one micro servo. When the cam (gray) is rotated to center, both valves are closed. From there, either one can be turned on, one at a time. The cam followers (black) push on the silicone tubing to compress it and create simple pinch valves.

The servo is quite efficient in that it is about the same volume of two 12 volt solenoid valves that handle the same pressure. It works efficiently at 20 PSI of air pressure and it has been tested at up to 30 PSI. It has also been motion tested and after more than 4300 on-off cycles it did not show significant signs of wear on the moving parts.

It is also considerably lighter than two solenoid valves and uses much less energy to operate. Once actuated, the valves can be left open or closed without using power.

Detailed construction guide, electronic schematics and files can be found at:

Sep 4, 2014

F3D is food RepRap derived DIY 3d printer. YES it will print and COOK your food. It uses halogen bulb as a sort of improvised oven. Food in a form of paste is extruded trough a syringe nozzle. The entire device costs in 1200 £ range.

From F3D homepage:

‘F3D’, pronounced ‘fed’, is a prototype RepRap derived automated kitchen. It was developed part-time over 6 months as a third year project by 4 Mechanical Engineering students (Hillel Baderman, Jacob Watfa, Francis Nwobu, and James Clarke) at Imperial College London. The project was supervised by Dr. Connor Myant.

‘F3D’ can print and cook a multi-ingredient meal using food pastes in pre-filled syringes autonomously. The user is required only to insert the syringes into the machine and ‘press print’.

You can get all the details about the F3D in very extensive PDF report:

Removable build plate constructed from high quality tempered glass for easy and safe print removal. Borosilicate glass build plates will be available early next year on our website and possibly as a stretch goal for the kickstarter, lets see how many of you want them first.

Dual filament bays for use with: PLA, ABS, HIPS, PVA and most other filament materials, up to 250C.

Origin Ultimate features:

Includes all features of Prime and Plus packages, with the additions of:

The Zeni Kinetic Origin comes in 6 attractive color variations: Dark Grey, Light Grey, Blue, Red, Aqua, and Raspberry. We will be sending out a survey at the end of our Kickstarter funding period with the option to choose which color you would like best on your Origin printer.

Our printer arrives fully assembled and ready to print, but it has been designed with accessibility and upgrade-ability in mind. With our dedication to Open Source development, the ability to tinker and modify is built in to the printer itself.

We manufacture both the filament and printer, so you know exactly where all parts of your project are coming from. This gives us the added ability to price the printers at a much more affordable rate.

No, you are not required to purchase filament from us. We have designed every aspect of the Origin to allow you the greatest flexibility possible, and that includes printing mediums.

We want you to feel freedom in every aspect of 3-D printing. Our machines are sturdy yet elegant, leaving both the top, front, and back open for adjustability and easy access to prints.

The Origin's size makes it large enough to print substantial pieces, without sacrificing affordability.

We also offer the distinctive option of multiple extruder heads (we know you are excited about the creative implications of that)! We have retained the Open Source mounting and mating of hot ends, allowing you to use any hot end that conforms to standard designs

We use 3/16ths plate aluminum for the ribs, sturdy 10mm linear ball bearings, and huge 5/16ths z axis screws. It may look pretty but there is nothing timid about this machine.

Experimentation is key with the Origin! You are not limited by an enclosed box, and we have included slotted extrusion at both the top and bottom of the printer to allow you to add any experimental devices or attachments you can imagine.

There is plenty of room to experiment with custom controllers, additional electronics or mechanical.

Your printer will function for years without major maintenance or changes but we fully expect (and want) some of our customers to modify their printers, and offer kits, or designs and models to help other do the same. Exploration is a trait we value at Zeni Kinetic, and we want our customers to benefit from that same spirit.

The Origin is one of the only printers on the market that begs you to make it into something else. The future of 3-D printing is not limited to plastic, so why should the Origin be? Our printer as been created with an unlimited future in mind: for the foodie—candy, pizza, and waffle printing is on the horizon; metal and ceramic options will be available for the builders and sculptors of society. The ability to print directly from pellets or ground plastic is currently being explored by one group and the number will surely grow. We want even the bio-printing sphere of the medical field to have options with the Origin. These advancements may be a few years down the road but we do not believe that 3-D printing is just a passing fad, and the Origin is a fantastic base to begin from.

I wish Zeni crew all the best with their endeavor!

Yes yes, every day a new 3d printer emerges. How to make any difference among them ... but I think that competition and consumer choice are great things ...